Ensuring Rights of Non- and Limited-English Speakers
Check out President Susan Shin’s New York Law Journal article, “Ensuring Rights of Non- and Limited-English Speakers,” published in the Law Day issue. In this Special Report, bench and bar leaders share their thoughts on the Miranda rights. Susan shares her thoughts about the challenges in protecting these rights for non- and limited-English speakers in particular:
Even I, a native English speaker, found the terms difficult to understand before becoming a lawyer. How much more difficult is it for a non-native English speaker who does not understand legal concepts and implications of, for example, the “right to remain silent,” “waiver,” and “consent”? Still, many respond in the affirmative when asked if they understand and consent to questioning and waive their rights, even if they failed to comprehend the words being communicated to them.
Read more at the link above to access Susan’s article. Click here for a PDF of the article. To view all the Law Day articles, including articles from Acting Presiding Justice Peter Tom and Presiding Justice Randall T. Eng, click here.